1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the Industrial Battery Field. Specifically, applying an electronically or computer controlled battery optimization de-sulfation process using integral or external devices, to minimize the internal impedance of the battery caused by excess daily or periodic sulfation. This optimization control device command and control processes may be based in whole or in part upon the real time collection of raw battery metric data, or the use of simple timing algorithms, compared to most previous specific battery data and/or comparison with “like kind” comparative battery databases. The invention may also be used to provide advanced electrical savings capabilities to the battery operation, by the non-native control and modification of the battery charger's output. The invention may also be used to provide advanced electrical savings capabilities to the battery operation, by the reduction or elimination of a weekly or periodic “Equalization Charge.” The invention may also be used to provide advanced life extension capabilities by the reduction in the gradual “Cycle Compensation Effect,” that is, the reduction of sulfation induced, ever increasing charging/discharging cycles to accomplish the same degree of workload. The invention may also be used to reduce or eliminate battery desulfation services currently and repetitively required, resulting from sulfation induced increasing resistance.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The present disclosure is directed to a battery optimization interface module located between a battery and the battery charger, or a battery charger circuitry integrated control device to automatically scan, develop commands and thereinafter control the continuous performance optimization of lead acid batteries. This Scan, Command and Control means is based in whole or in part, upon the real time gathering and processing of scientific measurements of battery or battery cell metrics, controlling the application of integral or external electronic de-sulfating devices upon the battery, or controlling non-electronic de-sulfation means applied to the battery such as the injection of chemical additives into the battery cells; to maintain the battery at the lowest possible internal resistance level hereinafter referred to as The Battery Optimization (IBO) process. More particularly, the automatic battery de-sulfating of lead acid batteries preceding, after, or in conjunction with a charging cycle or process, thus maintaining the battery in an optimized daily or other periodically based condition.
The present disclosure also provides for the external control of the battery charger to battery connection means, interrupting that connection means using an external measuring, computational and processing device to control the charger's output to the battery, regardless of the charger's native charge profile requirements; that may in whole or in part based upon battery optimization processes, and in whole or in part by battery or battery cell scientific metrics gathered and processed by internal or external means.
The present disclosure also provides for the real time qualitative rating (scoring) of the battery's optimization status by automatically and quantifiably determining that status using real time data obtained and processed by a computer hardware and software system, then compared to: 1) the same battery data of previous battery optimization or charge process cycles, or 2) to a historical battery database of other like kind batteries undergoing the same charging, de-sulfation or optimization processes. The present disclosure also provides for the real time control of the battery charging or optimization processes based upon the battery's optimization qualitative scoring.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating or quantifying the impedance of a battery or battery cells metric(s), and controlling said de-sulfation means based in whole or in part upon that measured impedance(s). The present disclosure may provide the external measured impedance scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that many do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating or quantifying the electrolyte temperature of the battery cells metric, and controlling said de-sulfation means based in whole or in part upon that measured electrolyte temperature. The present disclosure may provide the external measured electrolyte temperature scan, command and control means to those devices, which may also be used for qualitative data analysis, or to modify the raw data of the specific gravity metric.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating or quantifying the specific gravity of the battery cells metric, and controlling said de-sulfation means based in whole or in part upon that measured specific gravity. The present disclosure may provide the external measured specific gravity scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method controlling said de-sulfation means, based in whole or in part upon the measured time metric before, during, or after an applied re-charge to the battery. The present disclosure may provide the external measured time scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating or quantifying the volts per cell of the battery cells metric, and controlling said de-sulfation means based in whole or in part upon that measured volts per cell. The present disclosure may provide the external measured volts per cell scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating or quantifying the battery voltage metric, and controlling said de-sulfation means based in whole or in part upon that measured battery voltage. The present disclosure may provide the external measured battery voltage scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that many devices do not have an automatic, real time method for measuring, evaluating, quantifying or controlling the Charge Return Factor applied by the charger to the battery, and the means to control the battery charger's Charge Return Factor based in whole or in part upon the measurement of battery or battery cell metrics. The present disclosure may provide the external Charge Return Factor scan, command and control means to those devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that the battery optimization control device may also collect, process, store and transfer battery or battery cell metric data to other processing means, typically an external instrument, or computer based operating systems capable of individual or multiple battery or battery cell metric reading cycles.
The present disclosure contemplates that the battery optimization control device may also collect, process, store and transfer battery or battery cell metric data using a communication means to export said data to an external device, using a telemetry based, wireless, wired, the internet, or equivalent communications means to other processing devices such as computer based operational or analytical devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that the battery optimization control device may also collect, process, store and transfer battery or battery cell metric data in conjunction with a battery charger, using a communication means to export said data to an external device, using a telemetry based, wireless, wired, the internet, or equivalent communications means to other processing devices such as computer based operational or analytical devices.
The present disclosure contemplates that some battery or battery cell metrics may be used independently, or in combination with other battery or battery cell metrics, or other data means, for qualitative analysis of the battery or battery cells.
The present disclosure contemplates that the daily or other periodic application of automated sulfation elimination processes may reduce or eliminate the buildup of performance reducing “daily” sulfation. That reduction of daily sulfation may reduce or eliminate the formation of “crystalline” sulfation, which therefore, may reduce or eliminate the conventional battery sulfation elimination service requirements.
The present disclosure contemplates that the reduction of daily sulfation may reduce or eliminate the formation of performance reducing “crystalline” sulfation, which therefore, may reduce or eliminate the conventional battery sulfation performance loss over time causing the battery to require less charge/discharge cycles to perform the same workload, when compared to non-optimized batteries, utilizing significantly more of the intended charger/discharge life cycles referred to as “Cycle Extension or Preservation.”
The present disclosure contemplates that the reduction of daily sulfation may reduce or eliminate the formation of performance reducing “crystalline” sulfation, which therefore, may reduce or eliminate the conventional battery sulfation performance loss over time causing the battery to use less electricity per charge.
The present disclosure contemplates that the reduction of daily sulfation may reduce or eliminate the formation of performance reducing “crystalline” sulfation, which therefore, may reduce or eliminate the conventional battery sulfation performance loss over time, reducing or eliminating the need to perform an “Equalization Charge” to the battery. This may result in electrical savings and cycle preservation extending the battery's useful life.
The present disclosure contemplates that some magnetic isolation transformers may be substituted with a High Frequency—Power Factor Corrected—Switching Isolation Transformer (HFISO). The HFISO may have the advantage of being lighter than a purely magnetic isolation means, may be less expensive to build than a purely magnetic isolation means, and because of power factor correction the HFISO may have a lower electrical operating cost than a purely magnetic isolation means.
The present disclosure contemplates the HFISO power supply may extract pulses from the AC mains that are spread throughout the mains sine wave and modulated in such a manner that the current in each pulse is proportionate to the demand needed for the battery de-sulfation, battery optimization process peak amplitude. These power supply pulses would be sufficient in number and frequency to allow each pulse to be stored and converted into individual discharge bursts to the storage capacitor, such that the full energy demand of the desired battery peak amplitude could be achieved. The amount of energy carried by each power supply pulse would be small enough to minimize the components and their energy storage requirements to economize the design. The HFISO device Power Factor may be defined by the controlled and constant ratio of the voltage to the current demand on the mains, and considered unity, by design to about 95%.
The present disclosure contemplates that some lead acid batteries may be constructed using individual cells connected by an external bus bar to form the nominal voltage desired from the battery. Individual cells may provide about two volts each; thus, a 12-volt motive battery may include 6 cells in series, a 24 volt battery may include twelve cells, and so on.
The present disclosure contemplates that the Battery Optimization Control Device uses an integral processor, memory, computer software algorithms and hardware combinations, to apply specific calibration adjustments, schedules and data tables modifying the raw battery metric data input of the device sensors, transducers and probes; utilizing those calibrated data measurements to automatically control the battery optimization process using integral or external de-sulfation electronic de-sulfation devices, or integral or external non-electronic de-sulfation means such as the injection of chemical additives into the battery cells.
The present disclosure contemplates that the battery optimization control device(s), processes, or process algorithm(s), may be integrated within or become a modification of, the native construction of the battery charger circuitry and or the charger's operational profile. The integration may provide the synergistic benefit of sharing common physical attributes of the device's construction, lowering the cost of the device's construction, improving the performance of batteries being charged by the charger, reducing the electrical costs of the charging process, providing the means to reduce the electrical cost of the battery's operation when using the battery charger, increasing the charger's native efficiency, modifying the charger's native operational profile, may allow the charger to import, process and utilize battery or battery cell metric data, may provide the charger a capability to command and control external devices, and provide the means for real time battery optimization and quantification of the battery's performance.
Prior art does not allow for the real-time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant external, non-battery charger native, independent control of the charger to battery conductive means, based upon the analysis of those battery or battery cell metrics, automatically and periodically interrupting the conductive means to apply an external battery de-sulfation process before, during or after the battery charging process.
Prior art does not allow for the real time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant internal battery charger, native circuitry control of or modification too, the charger's native charge profile, based upon the analysis of those battery or battery cell metrics, automatically and periodically applying an internal battery de-sulfation (optimization) process before, during or after the battery charging process.
Prior art does not allow for the real-time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant external, non-battery charger native, independent control of the charger to battery conductive means, based upon the analysis of those metrics, automatically and periodically interrupting the said conductive means modifying and controlling applied battery Charge Return Factor.
Prior art does not allow for the real time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant internal battery charger, native circuitry control of or modification too, the charger's native charge profile, based upon the analysis of those metrics, automatically and periodically applying a modification to the duration of the charger's application of charging current, referred to as the modification and control of the battery's Charge Return Factor.
Prior art does not allow for the real-time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant external, non-battery charger native, independent control of the charger to battery conductive means, based upon the analysis of those metrics, automatically and periodically interrupting the said conductive means to eliminate, or modify the duration of, the charger's application of a periodic Equalization Charge current.
Prior art does not allow for the real time measurement of battery or cell metrics and the resultant internal battery charger, native circuitry elimination of or modification too, the charger's Equalization Charging duration profile, based upon the analysis of those metrics, automatically and periodically applying a modification to the duration of the charger's application of charging current, referred to as the elimination or modification and control of the battery's Equalization Charge current.
Prior art does not allow for the real time measurement of the impedance value(s), digitized specific gravity, cell electrolyte temperature, or the volts per cell, of the battery, or battery cells within an array of cells; using a single measurement means, a single attachment means, and a single data recording means; using analog or digital electronic signals provided by a transducer or sensor processed by electronic instrumentation, or a computer based operating system, collecting the raw data from the battery or battery cells and used in the control or modification of the charger's native charging profile.
Prior art does not allow that real time or historical battery or battery cell metrics may be used independently, or in combination with other battery or battery cell metrics, or other data means, for real time qualitative analysis of the battery or battery cells. This qualitative analysis may be used to modify or control the charger's native charging profile.
Prior art does not contemplate that the daily or other periodic application of automated sulfation elimination processes may reduce or eliminate the buildup of performance reducing “daily” sulfation. That reduction of daily sulfation may reduce or eliminate the formation of “crystalline” sulfation, which therefore, may reduce or eliminate the conventional battery sulfation elimination service requirements, allowing the battery to use less electricity per charge, to use significantly more of the intended charger/discharge life cycles referred to as “Cycle Extension or Preservation,” and reduce or eliminate the “Equalization Charge” process.